Announcements

We are proud to recognize the winners of MDPI’s 2021 Travel Awards in the “Biology & Life Sciences” category for their outstanding presentations and to present them with the prize.

MDPI journals regularly offer travel awards to encourage talented junior scientists to present their latest research at academic conferences in specific fields, which helps to increase their influence.

The winners mentioned below were carefully selected by the journal editors based on an outline of their research and the work to be presented at an academic conference.

We would like to warmly congratulate the winners of 2021 Travel Awards and wish them the greatest success with their future research endeavors. MDPI will continue to enhance communication among scientists.

Agriculture:

• Zahra Bitarafan, Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research (NIBIO), Norway
• Nikolaos Tsoulias, Leibniz Institute for Agricultural Engineering and Bioeconomy (ATB), Germany

Fermentation:

• Michela Verni, University of Bari, Italy
• Philipp Demling, RWTH Aachen University, Germany

Horticulturae:

• Jagveer Singh, Punjab Agricultural University, India
• Ibrar Hussain, State University of Londrina, Brazil

Microorganisms:

• Francis Muchaamba, University of Zurich, Switzerland

Methods and Protocols:

• Tanja Eisemann, SBP Medical Discovery Institute, USA

Nutrients:

• Mrinalini Dey, National Institute for Health Research, UK
• Ben Kirk, University of Melbourne, Australia
• Kirrilly Pursey, University of Newcastle, Australia
• Dieuwertje Kok, Wageningen University, the Netherlands
• Hanna Huber, University of Bonn, Germany
• Marlene Lages, University of Porto, Portugal
• Zohra S. Lassi, University of Adelaide, Australia
• Rik Olde Engberink, Amsterdam University Medicial Center, the Netherlands
• Sarah Warkentin, University of Porto (ISPUP), Portugal
• Álvaro Hernáez, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Norway
• Leila Abdelhamid, Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Tech, USA
• Maria Michela Cesare, University of Siena, Italy
• Kaisa Hiippala, University of Helsinki, Finland

Pathogens:

• Vanessa Silva, University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro, Portugal
• Hejun Liu, Scripps Research Institute, USA
• Tomokazu Tamura, Princeton University, USA

Toxins:

• Cecilie Knudsen, Technical University of Denmark, Denmark
• Laura Biessy, Cawthron Institute, New Zealand
• Marcelo Mendes Rabelo, University of Florida, USA

Vaccines:

• Hee Chun Chung, Seoul National University, South Korea
• Alejandro Marin Lopez, Yale University, USA

The purpose of our Best Paper Awards is to promote and recognize the most impactful contributions published within MDPI journals.

The editors of each journal carefully selected reviews and research papers through a rigorous judging process based on criteria such as the scientific merit, overall impact, and the quality of presentation of the papers published in the journal last year.

We are honored to present the winners in the subject areas of “Biology & Life Sciences”, who were selected amongst extensive competition, and congratulate the authors for their outstanding scientific publications.

MDPI will continue to provide support and recognition to the academic community.

Animals:

• “Effects of Dietary Betaine on Growth Performance, Digestive Function, Carcass Traitsand Meat Quality in Indigenous Yellow-Feathered Broilers under Long-Term Heat Stress”

by Wenchao Liu, Yilin Yuan, Chenyu Sun, Balamuralikrishnan Balasubramanian, Zhihui Zhao and Lilong An

Animals 2019, 9(8), 506, doi 10.3390/ani9080506

• “The Ethics of Human–Animal Relationships and Public Discourse: A Case Study of Lions Bred for Their Bones”

by Peter Coals, Dawn Burnham, Andrew Loveridge, David W. Macdonald, Michael ’t Sas-Rolfes, Vivienne L. Williams and John A. Vucetich

Animals 2019, 9(2), 52; doi 10.3390/ani9020052

• “The Potential Role of Insects as Feed: A Multi-Perspective Review”

by Giovanni Sogari, Mario Amato, Ilaria Biasato, Silvana Chiesa and Laura Gasco

Animals 2019, 9(4), 119; doi 10.3390/ani9040119

Antibodies:

• “Antibody Structure and Function: The Basis for Engineering Therapeutics”

by Mark L. Chiu; Dennis R. Goulet; Alexey Teplyakov and Gary L. Gilliland

Antibodies 2019, 8(4), 55; doi 10.3390/antib8040055

Antioxidants:

• “Antioxidant and Anti-Inflammatory Activities of Flavanones from Glycyrrhiza glabra L. (licorice) Leaf Phytocomplexes: Identification of Licoflavanone as a Modulator of NF-kB/MAPK Pathway”

by Luca Frattaruolo, Gabriele Carullo, Matteo Brindisi, Sarah Mazzotta, Luca Bellissimo, Vittoria Rago, Rosita Curcio, Vincenza Dolce, Francesca Aiello and Anna Rita Cappello

Antioxidants 2019, 8(6), 186; doi 10.3390/antiox8060186

• “LC-ESI-QTOF/MS Characterisation of Phenolic Acids and Flavonoids in Polyphenol-Rich Fruits and Vegetables and Their Potential Antioxidant Activities”

by Chunhe Gu, Kate Howell, Frank R. Dunshea and Hafiz A. R. Suleria

Antioxidants 2019, 8(9), 405; doi 10.3390/antiox8090405

• “Nutritional Value, Chemical Composition and Cytotoxic Properties of Common Purslane (Portulaca oleracea L.) in Relation to Harvesting Stage and Plant Part”

by Spyridon A. Petropoulos, Ângela Fernandes, Maria Inês Dias, Ioannis B. Vasilakoglou, Konstantinos Petrotos, Lillian Barros and Isabel C. F. R. Ferreira

Antioxidants 2019, 8(8), 293; doi 10.3390/antiox8080293

• “A Comprehensive Review on Lipid Oxidation in Meat and Meat Products”

by Rubén Domínguez, Mirian Pateiro, Mohammed Gagaoua, Francisco J. Barba, Wangang Zhang and José M. Lorenzo

Antioxidants 2019, 8(10), 429; doi 10.3390/antiox8100429

Biology:

• “The Mammalian Circadian Timing System and the Suprachiasmatic Nucleus as Its Pacemaker”

by Michael H. Hastings, Elizabeth S. Maywood and Marco Brancaccio

Biology 2019, 8(1), 13; doi 10.3390/biology8010013

• “Combined Effects of Acute Temperature Change and Elevated pCO₂ on the Metabolic Rates and Hypoxia Tolerances of Clearnose Skate (Rostaraja eglanteria), Summer Flounder (Paralichthys dentatus), and Thorny Skate (Amblyraja radiata)”

by Gail D. Schwieterman, Daniel P. Crear, Brooke N. Anderson, Danielle R. Lavoie, James A. Sulikowski, Peter G. Bushnell and Richard W. Brill

Biology 2019, 8(3), 56; doi 10.3390/biology8030056

Biomolecules:

• “Flagella-Driven Motility of Bacteria”

by Shuichi Nakamura and Tohru Minamino

Biomolecules 2019, 9(7), 279; doi 10.3390/biom9070279

• “Systematic FTIR Spectroscopy Study of the Secondary Structure Changes in Human Serum Albumin under Various Denaturation Conditions”

by Dmitrii Usoltsev, Vera Sitnikovaandrey Kajava and Mayya Uspenskaya

Biomolecules 2019, 9(8), 359; doi 10.3390/biom9080359

• “Quantification of Fecal Short Chain Fatty Acids by Liquid Chromatography Tandem Mass Spectrometry—Investigation of Pre-Analytic Stability”

by Gerhard Liebisch, Josef Ecker, Sebastian Roth, Sabine Schweizer, Veronika Öttl, Hans-Frieder Schött, Hongsup Yoon, Dirk Haller, Ernst Holler, Ralph Burkhardt and Silke Matysik

Biomolecules 2019, 9(4), 121; doi 10.3390/biom9040121

• “Cytotoxicity of Dendrimers”

by Anna Janaszewska, Joanna Lazniewska, Przemysław Trzepiński, Monika Marcinkowska and Barbara Klajnert-Maculewicz

Biomolecules 2019, 9(8), 330; doi 10.3390/biom9080330

Cells:

• “Combined Inhibition of TGF-β Signaling and the PD-L1 Immune Checkpoint Is Differentially Effective in Tumor Models”

by Heng Sheng Sow, Jiang Ren, Marcel Camps, Ferry Ossendorp and Peter ten Dijke

Cells 2019, 8(4), 320; doi 10.3390/cells8040320

• “Exosome Treatment Enhances Anti-Inflammatory M2 Macrophages and Reduces Inflammation-Induced Pyroptosis in Doxorubicin-Induced Cardiomyopathy”

by Dinender K. Singla, Taylor A. Johnson and Zahra Tavakoli Dargani

Cells 2019, 8(10), 1224; doi 10.3390/cells8101224

• “Overview of Extracellular Vesicles, Their Origin, Composition, Purpose, and Methods for Exosome Isolation and Analysis”

by Laura M. Doyle and Michael Zhuo Wang

Cells 2019, 8(7), 727; doi 10.3390/cells8070727

• “Mesenchymal Stem Cells for Regenerative Medicine”

by Yu Han, Xuezhou Li, Yanbo Zhang, Yuping Han, Fei Chang and Jianxun Ding

Cells 2019, 8(8), 886; doi 10.3390/cells8080886

Genes:

• “A High-Quality De novo Genome Assembly from a Single Mosquito Using PacBio Sequencing”

by Sarah B. Kingan, Haynes Heaton, Juliana Cudini, Christine C. Lambert, Primo Baybayan, Brendan D. Galvin, Richard Durbin, Jonas Korlach and Mara K. N. Lawniczak

Genes 2019, 10(1), 62; doi 10.3390/genes10010062

• “Eukaryotic 5-methylcytosine (m⁵C) RNA Methyltransferases: Mechanisms, Cellular Functions, and Links to Disease”

by Katherine E Bohnsack, Claudia Höbartner and Markus T Bohnsack

Genes 2019, 10(2), 102; doi 10.3390/genes10020102

• “Tree Lab: Portable Genomics for Early Detection of Plant Viruses and Pests in Sub-Saharan Africa”

by Laura M. Boykin, Peter Sseruwagi, Titus Alicai, Elijah Ateka, Ibrahim Umar Mohammed, Jo-Ann L. Stanton, Charles Kayuki, Deogratius Mark, Tarcisius Fute, Joel Erasto, Hilda Bachwenkizi, Brenda Muga, Naomi Mumo, Jenniffer Mwangi, Phillip Abidrabo, Geoffrey Okao-Okuja, Geresemu Omuut, Jacinta Akol, Hellen B. Apio, Francis Osingada, Monica A. Kehoe, David Eccles, Anders Savill, Stephen Lamb, Tonny Kinene, Christopher B. Rawle, Abishek Muralidhar, Kirsty Mayall, Fred Tairo and Joseph Ndunguru

Genes 2019, 10(9), 632; doi 10.3390/genes10090632

• “Transcription Factors Associated with Abiotic and Biotic Stress Tolerance and Their Potential for Crops Improvement”

by Elamin Hafiz Baillo, Roy Njoroge Kimotho, Zhengbin Zhang and Ping Xu

Genes 2019, 10(10), 771; doi 10.3390/genes10100771

Horticulturae:

• “Recent Advances in Hormonal Regulation and Cross-Talk during Non-Climacteric Fruit Development and Ripening”

by Lida Fuentes, Carlos R. Figueroa and Monika Valdenegro

Horticulturae 2019, 5(2), 45; doi 10.3390/horticulturae5020045

• “Evaluation of Two Wild Populations of Hedge Mustard (Sisymbrium officinale (L.) Scop.) as a Potential Leafy Vegetable”

by Marta Guarise, Gigliola Borgonovo, Angela Bassoli and Antonio Ferrante

Horticulturae 2019, 5(1), 13; doi 10.3390/horticulturae5010013

Insects:

• “Olfactory Preference of Drosophila suzukii Shifts between Fruit and Fermentation Cues over the Season: Effects of Physiological Status”

by Rik Clymans, Vincent Van Kerckvoorde, Eva Bangels, Wannes Akkermans, Ammar Alhmedi, Patrick De Clercq, Tim Beliën and Dany bylemans

Insects 2019, 10(7), 200; doi 10.3390/insects10070200

• “Telenomus remus, a Candidate Parasitoid for the Biological Control of Spodoptera frugiperda in Africa, is already Present on the Continent”

by Marc Kenis, Hannalene du Plessis, Johnnie Van den Berg, Malick Niango Ba, Georg Goergen, Koffi Eric Kwadjo, Ibrahim Baoua, Tadele Tefera, Alan Buddie, Giovanni Cafà, Lisa Offord, Ivan Rwomushana and Andrew Polaszek

Insects 2019, 10(4), 92; doi 10.3390/insects10040092

• “Symbiotic Plant Biomass Decomposition in Fungus-Growing Termites”

by Rafael R. da Costa, Haofu Hu, Hongjie Li and Michael Poulsen

Insects 2019, 10(4), 87; doi 10.3390/insects10040087

International Journal of Molecular Sciences:

• “Aging, Melatonin, and the Pro- and Anti-Inflammatory Networks”

by Rüdiger Hardeland

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2019, 20(5), 1223; doi 10.3390/ijms20051223

• “Causative Links between Protein Aggregation and Oxidative Stress: A Review”

by Elise Lévy, Nadine El Banna, Dorothée Baïlle, Amélie Heneman-Masurel, Sandrine Truchet, Human Rezaei, Meng-Er Huang, Vincent Béringue, Davy Martin and Laurence Vernis

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2019, 20(16), 3896; doi 10.3390/ijms20163896

• “Immunobiology of Atherosclerosis: A Complex Net of Interactions”

by Beatriz Herrero-Fernandez, Raquel Gomez-Bris, Beatriz Somovilla-Crespo and Jose Maria Gonzalez-Granado

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2019, 20(21), 5293; doi 10.3390/ijms20215293

• “Development of a Gut-on-a-Chip Model for High Throughput Disease Modeling and Drug Discovery”

by Claudia Beaurivage, Elena Naumovska, Yee Xiang Chang, Edo D. Elstak, Arnaud Nicolas, Heidi Wouters, Guido van Moolenbroek, Henriëtte L. Lanz, Sebastiaan J. Trietsch, Jos Joore, Paul Vulto, Richard A.J. Janssen, Kai S. Erdmann, Jan Stallen and Dorota Kurek

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2019, 20(22), 5661; doi 10.3390/ijms20225661

• “Triple-Negative Breast Cancer with High Levels of Annexin A1 Expression Is Associated with Mast Cell Infiltration, Inflammationand Angiogenesis”

by Maiko Okano, Masanori Oshi, Ali Linsk Butash, Eriko Katsuta, Kazunoshin Tachibana, Katsuharu Saito, Hirokazu Okayama, Xuan Peng, Li Yan, Koji Kono, Toru Ohtake and Kazuaki Takabe

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2019, 20(17), 4197; doi 10.3390/ijms20174197

• “CGRP Induces Differential Regulation of Cytokines from Satellite Glial Cells in Trigeminal Ganglia and Orofacial Nociception”

by Shaista Afroz, Rieko Arakaki, Takuma Iwasa, Masamitsu Oshima, Maki Hosoki, Miho Inoue, Otto Baba, Yoshihiro Okayama and Yoshizo Matsuka

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2019, 20(3), 711; doi 10.3390/ijms20030711

Life:

• “Characterization of Resistance in Gram-Negative Urinary Isolates Using Existing and Novel Indicators of Clinical Relevance: A 10-Year Data Analysis”

by Márió Gajdács, Zoltán Bátori, Marianna Ábrók, Andrea Lázár and Katalin Burián

Life 2020, 10(2), 16; doi 10.3390/life10020016

• “Neuroprotection or Neurotoxicity of Illicit Drugs on Parkinson’s Disease”

by Carla Ferreira, Catarina Almeida, Sandra Tenreiro and Alexandre Quintas

Life 2020, 10(6), 86; doi 10.3390/life10060086

Nutrients:

• “Gut Microbiome: Profound Implications for Diet and Disease”

by Ronald D. Hills, Benjamin A. Pontefract, Hillary R. Mishcon, Cody A. Black, Steven C. Sutton and Cory R. Theberge

Nutrients 2019, 11(7), 1613; doi 10.3390/nu11071613

• “Vitamin C Can Shorten the Length of Stay in the ICU: A Meta-Analysis”

by Harri Hemilä and Elizabeth Chalker

Nutrients 2019, 11(4), 708; doi 10.3390/nu11040708

• “Early Time-Restricted Feeding Improves 24-Hour Glucose Levels and Affects Markers of the Circadian Clock, Aging, and Autophagy in Humans”

by Humaira Jamshed, Robbie A. Beyl, Deborah L. Della Manna, Eddy S. Yang, Eric Ravussin and Courtney M. Peterson

Nutrients 2019, 11(6), 1234; doi 10.3390/nu11061234

Pathogens:

• “Alteration of Gut Microbiota in Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD): Cause or Consequence? IBD Treatment Targeting the Gut Microbiome”

by Israr Kha, Naeem Ullah, Lajia Zha, Yanrui Bai, Ashiq Khan, Tang Zhao, Tuanjie Che and Chunjiang Zhang

Pathogens 2019, 8(3), 126; doi 10.3390/pathogens8030126

• “Candida albicans Interactions with Mucosal Surfaces during Health and Disease”

by Spyridoula-Angeliki Nikou,Nessim Kichik, Rhys Brown, Nicole O. Ponde, Jemima Ho, Julian R. Naglik and Jonathan P. Richardson

Pathogens 2019, 8(2), 53; doi 10.3390/pathogens8020053

• “Bacteriophages in Natural and Artificial Environments”

by Steven Batinovic, Flavia Wassef, Sarah A. Knowler, Daniel T.F. Rice, Cassandra R. Stanton, Jayson Rose, Joseph Tucci, Tadashi Nittami, Antony Vinh, Grant R. Drummond, Christopher G. Sobey, Hiu Tat Chan, Robert J. Seviour, Steve Petrovski and Ashley E. Franks

Pathogens 2019, 8(3), 100; doi 10.3390/pathogens8030100

Plants:

• “Plant Disease Detection and Classification by Deep Learning”

by Muhammad Hammad Saleem, Johan Potgieter and Khalid Mahmood Arif 

Plants 2019, 8(11), 468; doi 10.3390/plants8110468

• “Involvement of Phenolic Acids in Short-Term Adaptation to Salinity Stress is Species-Specific among Brassicaceae”

by Ida Linić, Dunja Šamec, Jiří Grúz, Valerija Vujčić Bok, Miroslav Strnad and Branka Salopek-Sondi

Plants 2019, 8(6), 155; doi 10.3390/plants8060155

• “Isoform-Specific NO Synthesis by Arabidopsis thaliana Nitrate Reductase”

by Marie Agatha Mohn, Besarta Thaqi and Katrin Fischer-Schrader

Plants 2019, 8(3), 67; doi 10.3390/plants8030067

• “GWAS for Starch-Related Parameters in Japonica Rice (Oryza sativa L.)”

by Chiara Biselliandrea Volante, Francesca Desiderio, Alessandro Tondelli, Alberto Gianinetti, Franca Finocchiaro, Federica Taddei, Laura Gazza, Daniela Sgrulletta, Luigi Cattivelli and Giampiero Valè

Plants 2019, 8(8), 292; doi 10.3390/plants8080292

Name: Dr. Simon Blanchet
Affiliation: Station d’Ecologie Théorique et Expérimentale, UAR 2029, Centre National pour la Recherche Scientifique, 09200 Moulis, France
Interests: freshwater ecology; population (epi-)genetics; ecosystem functioning; host-parasite interactions; evolutionary ecology; habitat fragmentation; conservation biology, fish ecology and evolution

The following is a short Q&A with Dr. Simon Blanchet, who shared his vision for this Section with us, as well as his views of the research area:

1. What appealed to you about the journal that made you want to take the role as its Section Editor-in-Chief?

Editing manuscripts is an enjoyable part of a researcher's work. I see this as a way to improve my knowledge of biological diversity and to sate my curiosity about biodiversity and science in general. I also like the idea of knowing a bit more about what people are doing around me in this small world. Thus, this new opportunity to go a step further in the editing process is very exciting to me.

2. What is your vision for the journal?

Journals focusing on the description and understanding of diversity patterns across biomes and taxa are rare. This is surprising because this is actually the basis of the work of ecologists and evolutionary biologists. Diversity is filling this gap, and I think that the journal has a long life ahead of it, as we still have a lot to discover in this area. Thus, my vision for the journal is to continue its goal of describing the diversity patterns of all forms while maintaining a high scientific standard. I also would like the journal to move toward publishing mechanistic papers aiming to further understand why we observe these diversity patterns.

3. What does the future of this field of research look like?

It looks like a molecule, a DNA molecule. We are all developing innovative methods to survey biological diversity. These methods are often very high-tech; I would guess that the future of the field of biodiversity science will be "high-tech", but I actually hope that it will also move toward a lower-tech approach so as to keep our naturalist minds open.

4. What do you think of the development of open access in the publishing field?

Open access is an important development as it guarantees the free distribution of scientific content to all people on Earth. Nonetheless, it must be developed in such a way that all scientists around the world can publish, even if they don't have the funding to pay for open access services. A right balance must be found among scientists around the world.

We warmly welcome Dr. Simon Blanchet to his new role as Section Editor-in-Chief, and we wish him every success in his research and in the development of the journal.

Diversity Editorial Office

The Diversity (ISSN 1424-2818) editorial team is pleased to announce the launch of a new Section, “Freshwater Biodiversity”. This Section will publish papers describing biodiversity (ranging from molecules to species and from unicellulars to vertebrates) across space and time, as well as identifying the processes that shape these patterns in freshwater ecosystems.

Topics of interest include (but are not limited to) the following:

• Genetic diversity;
• Intraspecific diversity;
• Phylogenetic diversity;
• Functional diversity;
• Species diversity;
• Taxonomy;
• Macroecology;
• Biogeography;
• Conservation;
• Global change.

We are currently recruiting Editorial Board Members and Guest Editors for this new Section. If you would like to help build a platform to provide your scientific community with the opportunity to collaborate on an interconnected set of papers on an innovative topic(s), please do not hesitate to join us.

To apply for these positions, recommend potential candidates, or request further information, please contact the Diversity Editorial Office (diversity@mdpi.com).

We also welcome you to submit related work to our Sections: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/diversity/sections.

Diversity (ISSN 1424-2818, https://www.mdpi.com/journal/diversity/sections) is an international, scientific, peer-reviewed, open access journal. It is published monthly online by MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. The journal has been indexed by Scopus, SCIE (Web of Science), PubAg, and many other databases. Diversity has a Journal Impact Factor of 2.465, ranking Q2 (“Biodiversity Conservation”) in the Web of Science.

2. “Functional Diversity of Soil Nematodes in Relation to the Impact of Agriculture—A Review
Stela Lazarova et al.
Diversity 2021, 13(2), 64; https://doi.org/10.3390/d13020064

3. “Karstic Landscapes Are Foci of Species Diversity in the World’s Third-Largest Vertebrate Genus Cyrtodactylus Gray, 1827 (Reptilia: Squamata; Gekkonidae)”
Lee Grismer et al.
Diversity 2021, 13(5), 183; https://doi.org/10.3390/d13050183

4. “Turbid Coral Reefs: Past, Present and Future—A Review”
Adi Zweifler (Zvifler) et al.
Diversity 2021, 13(6), 251; https://doi.org/10.3390/d13060251

5. “Italian Vascular Flora: New Findings, Updates and Exploration of Floristic Similarities between Regions”
Adriano Stinca et al.
Diversity 2021, 13(11), 600; https://doi.org/10.3390/d13110600

6. “An Overview of the Helminths of Moor Frog Rana arvalis Nilsson, 1842 (Amphibia: Anura) in the Volga Basin”
Igor V. Chikhlyaev et al.
Diversity 2021, 13(2), 61; https://doi.org/10.3390/d13020061

7. “Effects of Human Disturbance on Terrestrial Apex Predators”
Andrés Ordiz et al.
Diversity 2021, 13(2), 68; https://doi.org/10.3390/d13020068

8. “Orchid Extinction over the Last 150 Years in the Czech Republic”
Zuzana Štípková et al.
Diversity 2021, 13(2), 78; https://doi.org/10.3390/d13020078

9. “Orchids of Mongolia: Taxonomy, Species Richness and Conservation Status”
Shukherdorj Baasanmunkh et al.
Diversity 2021, 13(7), 302; https://doi.org/10.3390/d13070302

10. “On the Diversity of Phyllodocida (Annelida: Errantia), with a Focus on Glyceridae, Goniadidae, Nephtyidae, Polynoidae, Sphaerodoridae, Syllidae, and the Holoplanktonic Families”
Daniel Martin et al.
Diversity 2021, 13(3), 131; https://doi.org/10.3390/d13030131

We are pleased to announce that Prof. Dr. Michel Baguette has been appointed Editor-in-Chief of the Section “Biogeography and Macroecology” in Diversity (ISSN 1424-2818).

The following is a short Q&A with Prof. Dr. Michel Baguette, who shared his vision for the Section with us, as well as his views of the research area.

1. What appealed to you about the journal that made you want to take the role as its Section Editor-in-Chief?

My experience as Editor of Diversity was excellent, so I did not hesitate to increase my investment in the journal by accepting the invitation to serve as Editor-in-Chief for the Section “Biogeography and Macroecology”.

2. What is your vision for the journal?

I am convinced that the quality and the impact of Diversity will continue to increase because of its editorial policy, which aims for a transparent, fast and constructive review process. In addition, I like that the journal provides various original support mechanisms to authors, which allow them to advertise their scientific work. I think it is a good incentive to publish in Diversity.

3. What does the future of this field of research look like?

Biogeography and macroecology are research fields that strongly benefit from the big data revolution: it is now possible to collect and analyze huge data sets that provide new information on the patterns of biological diversity on Earth and its regulatory processes. Using this information, it is possible to build predictive models of biodiversity changes according to various environmental stressors, which can then be tested experimentally. It is an exciting leap of knowledge.

4. What do you think of the development of Open Access in the publishing field?

The generalization of open access restores a fair distribution of knowledge to all citizens of the world. Academic research is largely funded by public money. It is thus expected that scientific results are available to everyone. However, an ideal model is yet to be developed: research funders need to help laboratories bear the costs of open access, which might be possible by foregoing the very expensive subscriptions to journals published by a handful of publishers.

We warmly welcome Prof. Dr. Michel Baguette to his new role as Section Editor-in-Chief, and we wish him every success in his research and in the development of the journal.

Diversity Editorial Office

We are pleased to announce that Prof. Dr. José L. Tella has been appointed Editor-in-Chief of the Section “Biodiversity Loss and Dynamics” in Diversity (ISSN 1424-2818).

The following is a short Q&A with Prof. Dr. José L. Tella, who shared his vision for the journal with us, as well as his view of the research area and open access publishing:

1. What appealed to you about the journal that made you want to take the role as its Section Editor-in-Chief?

I did not hesitate to accept the invitation to serve as Editor-in-Chief for Diversity, as my previous experiences with this journal as an author, Editorial Board Member, and Guest Editor were very satisfactory.

2. What is your vision for the journal?

I firmly believe that the recognition and impact of Diversity will grow rapidly, as more researchers become aware of the speed, rigor, and transparency of the journal's peer review process, and of the help that the journal offers for authors, reviewers, and editors.

3. What does the future of this field of research look like?

Unfortunately, the increasing anthropization of the world will continue to impact its biodiversity in multiple ways. The study of these impacts will continue to grow, perhaps exponentially, since we need to know them precisely to try to mitigate them.

4. What do you think of the development of Open Access in the publishing field?

Open Access is key since it allows free access to readers and the dissemination of scientific skills and information all over the world. However, many research groups cannot afford APC costs. I hope that the rapid increase in open access journals will lead to a significant reduction in APCs. Meanwhile, publishers should make open access publication much more accessible, especially for authors from countries where access to research funding is very limited.

We wish Prof. Dr. José L. Tella every success in his research and in the development of the journal.

Diversity Editorial Office

We are pleased to announce the launch of a new initiative, the Diversity Special Issue Mentor Program.

This program will provide an opportunity for early career scientists to enhance their editing, networking, and organizational skills and to work closely with our journal to gain more editorial experience. Early career scientists with novel ideas for new Diversity Special Issues will act as Guest Editors under the mentorship of an experienced scientist; this mentor could be a member of the Editorial Board of Diversity (ISSN: 1424-2818), from other well-established research institutes or laboratories, etc.

Early Career Scientist’s Responsibilities:

• Providing a CV, including a list of publications;
• Proposing a Special Issue title and a short introduction;
• Writing a brief promotion plan for the Special Issue;
• Writing an editorial for the online Special Issue;
• Reviewing and making decisions for submissions under the mentorship of our editorial board members.

Mentor’s Responsibilities:

• Conducting a final check before the Special Issue is published online;
• Co-editing the Special Issue with younger scholars and performing quality control of the publications in the SI;
• Providing suggestions to younger scholars if they have any doubts or concerns regarding submissions;
• Organizing video calls with young scholars and the office regularly to discuss problems and improvement suggestions for the Special Issue.

Certificates and Awards:

After the Special Issue closes, the Editorial Office will provide official certificates for all the mentors, and the younger scholars will be prioritized as candidates for the Diversity Young Investigator Awards in future editions.

If you are interested in this opportunity, please send your Special Issue proposal to the Diversity Editorial Office (diversity@mdpi.com), and we will discuss the process (i.e., mentor collaboration, Special Issue topic feasibility analysis, etc.) in further detail.

In addition to the new Special Issue Mentor Program, Diversity will continue to welcome all Special Issue proposals focusing on hot research topics.

Diversity Editorial Office

Diversity is recruiting Editorial Board Members who would like to be involved in one of the five Sections: “Biodiversity Conservation”, “Chemical Diversity and Chemical Ecology”, “Biogeography and Macroecology”, “Biodiversity Loss & Dynamics”, and “Diversity Review”. If you are interested in serving on the Editorial Board, or have potential candidates to recommend, please reach out to us.

Applicants for Editorial Board positions may nominate a specific Section in which they feel their expertise lies or may nominate themselves as an Editorial Board Member for the entire journal.  

Diversity (ISSN: 1424-2818; Impact Factor: 2.465) is a fully open access journal on the science of biodiversity from molecules and genes to populations, species, and ecosystems. It is indexed by the Science Citation Index Expanded (Web of Science), Scopus (CiteScore in 2020: 2.2), and other important databases.

As an Editorial Board member, you will have the following responsibilities:

• Pre-screening submissions and making decisions on whether they should be rejected or accepted for processing;
• Editing a Special Issue on a topic related to your research;
• Recommending timely topics and suggesting potential Guest Editors;
• Publishing/inviting/recommending one paper free of charge per year;
• Identifying appropriate conferences for the promotion of Diversity;
• Promoting the journal.

To apply or request further information, please contact the Diversity Editorial Office (diversity@mdpi.com). We look forward to hearing from you soon.